ARTS

Reality isn’t what it used to be at Appleton Museum

Appleton Museum of Art intern Lindsey Roberson holds a photograph of Sir Edwin Landseer’s 1841 painting “Eos” in front of the 2007 work it inspired, Larry Charles’ “Beige is Stress Management for Yellow,” at the museum in Ocala on Jan. 14.

Published: Thursday, January 21, 2010 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at 2:14 p.m.

The Appleton Museum of Art’s latest exhibit features paintings of contemporary Realists - artists whose works reflect, for the most part, the subject as it is. And the 65 paintings in “The New Reality” are a varied showcase of vibrant, sometimes humorous, modern art.

Facts

‘The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century’

When: Saturday through March 21Where: Appleton Museum of Art, 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., OcalaMuseum admission: $6 for adults; $4 for seniors and students ages 19 and older; $3 for ages 10 to 18; free for museum members, Central Florida Community College students, children ages 9 and younger and active military personnel and their immediate families

Appleton’s Community WeekendWhat: With support from Marion Cultural Alliance, admission to the museum will be free this weekend. On Saturday, guest curator Larry Charles will present a lecture about “New Reality.” Also, local art groups and schools will present an arts-education open house.When: Saturday and Sunday

But be sure to look closely. There are some surprises in the Realism now wintering at the Appleton.

A touring display created by the International Guild of Realism, “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century” is all about interpretation. It is a nod to new ideas, the evolution of art and top international Realists.

It also is a proclamation: In an age of wild mixed-media, painting is alive and well, noted artist Larry Charles, co-founder of the guild and guest curator for “New Reality.”

“I want people to look freshly at painting,” he said.

Artists created work just for “New Reality,” a juried exhibit representing 56 artists selected from 350. The works are interpretations of art - mostly Realism - of more than a century ago.

The 21st century modern art is hung next to small photos of works from the 1500s to the 1800s. For example, a small version of Johannes Vermeer’s 1665 “Girl With a Pearl Earring” is displayed alongside Ellen Catherwood’s modern, large original painting “Girl With Piercings.”

The paintings are not re-creations. They are open and varied interpretations, stressed Ruth Grim, the Appleton’s curator of exhibitions. Therein you will find the surprises.

For example, while Catherwood’s painting does mirror Vermeer’s painting in basic composition and color scheme, the “girls” are distinctly of different eras.

Yet close examination reveals the biggest surprise, one that even caught Grim a bit offguard: Vermeer’s painting is a lush oil painting, rich in the detail that medium allows. Catherwood’s work, however, is a watercolor with the amazing detail and rich colors of an oil painting.

Vincent Van Gogh’s post-impressionist painting “Sunflowers” showcases the Dutch artist’s signature dreamy style with broad brush strokes of thick oil paint. In “New Reality,” its modern interpretation by Camille Engel, “Sunflower at the Old Factory,” is a crisp, photo-quality oil painting of a sunflower soaking up rays against a decaying wall so detailed you think you can reach out and scrape off the peeling paint.

Also notable: Engel’s 2006 work portrays harsh shadows casting the illusion of depth. Van Gogh’s paintings tend to be two-dimensional.

There are other works in “New Reality,” including another Van Gogh interpretation, that are Realist visions of non-Realist works.

“Sometimes, the artist’s inspiration isn’t literal,” Grim said last week as staff members were starting to remove the art from 11 crates.

One of Grim’s favorite works in “New Reality” is the interpretation of Sir Edwin Landseer’s dog painting “Eos.” The 1841 work depicts one of Prince Albert’s proud whippets standing over a top hat and white gloves. The painting is bathed in a rich, velvety red color scheme.

Its contemporary counterpart is a 2006 diptych, or work with two images side-by-side, by Charles, the exhibit’s guest curator. It shows an Airedale terrier against a red background looking at the viewer, head tilted with “play-with-me” eyes that could melt the iciest of souls. The second component is a panel simply bearing the text, “Beige is stress management for yellow.”

“I want to be a little bit satiric,” Charles said of his work. Here, he is toying with reactions to different colors and different dogs; one painting is regal, the other whimsical.

Charles, incidentally, will speak about the exhibit at 6 p.m. Friday during a members’ preview and then at 1 p.m. Saturday during the Appleton’s Community Weekend, which offers free museum admission.

“New Reality is one of about 30 touring exhibitions from Smith Kramer Fine Arts Services. It started in Kansas in April 2008, the first of a 12-stop tour that will end February 2011 in Virginia,” said Kaci Schroeder, design and exhibit administrator for Smith Kramer.

“As it has traveled, it has really been a crowd pleaser,” Charles said.

“New Reality” artists come from the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway and Finland. The art itself includes works in oil, acrylic, egg tempera, graphite and colored pencil.

<p>The Appleton Museum of Art's latest exhibit features paintings of contemporary Realists - artists whose works reflect, for the most part, the subject as it is. And the 65 paintings in “The New Reality” are a varied showcase of vibrant, sometimes humorous, modern art.</p><p>But be sure to look closely. There are some surprises in the Realism now wintering at the Appleton.</p><p>A touring display created by the International Guild of Realism, “The New Reality: The Frontier of Realism in the 21st Century” is all about interpretation. It is a nod to new ideas, the evolution of art and top international Realists.</p><p>It also is a proclamation: In an age of wild mixed-media, painting is alive and well, noted artist Larry Charles, co-founder of the guild and guest curator for “New Reality.”</p><p>“I want people to look freshly at painting,” he said.</p><p>Artists created work just for “New Reality,” a juried exhibit representing 56 artists selected from 350. The works are interpretations of art - mostly Realism - of more than a century ago.</p><p>The 21st century modern art is hung next to small photos of works from the 1500s to the 1800s. For example, a small version of Johannes Vermeer's 1665 “Girl With a Pearl Earring” is displayed alongside Ellen Catherwood's modern, large original painting “Girl With Piercings.”</p><p>The paintings are not re-creations. They are open and varied interpretations, stressed Ruth Grim, the Appleton's curator of exhibitions. Therein you will find the surprises.</p><p>For example, while Catherwood's painting does mirror Vermeer's painting in basic composition and color scheme, the “girls” are distinctly of different eras.</p><p>Yet close examination reveals the biggest surprise, one that even caught Grim a bit offguard: Vermeer's painting is a lush oil painting, rich in the detail that medium allows. Catherwood's work, however, is a watercolor with the amazing detail and rich colors of an oil painting.</p><p>Vincent Van Gogh's post-impressionist painting “Sunflowers” showcases the Dutch artist's signature dreamy style with broad brush strokes of thick oil paint. In “New Reality,” its modern interpretation by Camille Engel, “Sunflower at the Old Factory,” is a crisp, photo-quality oil painting of a sunflower soaking up rays against a decaying wall so detailed you think you can reach out and scrape off the peeling paint.</p><p>Also notable: Engel's 2006 work portrays harsh shadows casting the illusion of depth. Van Gogh's paintings tend to be two-dimensional.</p><p>There are other works in “New Reality,” including another Van Gogh interpretation, that are Realist visions of non-Realist works.</p><p>“Sometimes, the artist's inspiration isn't literal,” Grim said last week as staff members were starting to remove the art from 11 crates.</p><p>One of Grim's favorite works in “New Reality” is the interpretation of Sir Edwin Landseer's dog painting “Eos.” The 1841 work depicts one of Prince Albert's proud whippets standing over a top hat and white gloves. The painting is bathed in a rich, velvety red color scheme.</p><p>Its contemporary counterpart is a 2006 diptych, or work with two images side-by-side, by Charles, the exhibit's guest curator. It shows an Airedale terrier against a red background looking at the viewer, head tilted with “play-with-me” eyes that could melt the iciest of souls. The second component is a panel simply bearing the text, “Beige is stress management for yellow.”</p><p>“I want to be a little bit satiric,” Charles said of his work. Here, he is toying with reactions to different colors and different dogs; one painting is regal, the other whimsical.</p><p>“I love this one,” Grim said of Charles' painting. “It makes me laugh every time.”</p><p>Charles, incidentally, will speak about the exhibit at 6 p.m. Friday during a members' preview and then at 1 p.m. Saturday during the Appleton's Community Weekend, which offers free museum admission.</p><p>“New Reality is one of about 30 touring exhibitions from Smith Kramer Fine Arts Services. It started in Kansas in April 2008, the first of a 12-stop tour that will end February 2011 in Virginia,” said Kaci Schroeder, design and exhibit administrator for Smith Kramer.</p><p>“As it has traveled, it has really been a crowd pleaser,” Charles said.</p><p>“New Reality” artists come from the United States, Canada, The Netherlands, Korea, Russia, France, Iceland, Romania, Norway and Finland. The art itself includes works in oil, acrylic, egg tempera, graphite and colored pencil.</p><p><i>Contact Dave Schlenker at 867-4120 or go@starbanner.com.</i></p>